he Adventist Church wanted to tackle youth drug use--both within and outside the church--and believed a cooperative approach using a positive environment was the best method.

"Ask a kid, 'Are drugs bad?' They'll say 'yes.' But what do you do when you're lonely?" says Kathleen Kuntaraf, a physician and associate director of the General Conference Health Ministries Department.

The Youth Alive training conference, a six-day workshop, is based on the original Adventist Youth-to-Youth program created by Patricia B. Mutch of the church's health ministries for encouraging positive peer influences. It was re-launched in 2001 under its new name with a cooperative effort from the church's family, health, youth, and education departments.

"You can't tell a teenager to love--they don't know how. By nature they belittle each other because of insecurity. So with this course they're being accepted with honor, dignity and respect as a child of God, and they tend to be bonded by the end of the week," Kuntaraf says.

Although it's not a treatment program for those who abuse drugs, Kuntaraf says this program aims to prevent youth from getting involved.

The Youth Alive rules don't allow putdowns--no demeaning talk. Its purpose is to build connectedness among youth. The kids are divided into 'friendship groups' of no more than 12 members. Alliterative names are given to each participant: energetic Edwin, awesome Aaron, kind Karen--so people can focus on the positive side of each participant. The games are cooperative, not competitive.

"It usually takes a few days for the kids to start feeling connected," says Kuntaraf. "I can't tell you how many times I've seen a change in someone's face. Some participants walk down the hall afterward, open their book of compliments, read some, close it and continue walking. They feel so happy to be appreciated.

"Other kids hear about this program and wish they could join too. People want to be in this environment of being appreciated," says Kuntaraf.

The most successful Youth Alive program, according to Kuntaraf, was in Mongolia where 204 youth--most not members of the Adventist Church--participated. The first two Adventists in Mongolia also attended. Today there are 524 Adventists--95 percent youth--in Mongolia, the fastest growing rate for any country where the Adventist Church exists. "There's 100 percent growth every year, they are mostly young people," says Kuntaraf.

Youth Alive has become an ongoing program in the Philippines since it was introduced there. The biggest challenge facing the program is the establishment of a permanent local Youth Alive club, according to Abraham T. Carpena, the region's health ministries director for the Adventist Church. "This is the key to see the continuous effectiveness. But the problem we are encountering is the fast turnover of leadership in local regions--[about] once every three years. Because of this, the next person in position may not have enough knowledge of the program. That's one of the causes of the irregularity of the program." Carpena has four Youth Alive programs scheduled next year.

Youth Alive took place in nearly every local district of the church's Euro-Asia region this year, according to Nadezhda A. Ivanova, health ministries director for the church in that region. The program there usually involves 150 to 200 teenagers.

"I have seen a remarkable change in our young people by the end of the program," says Ivanova. "Not only is this a drug prevention action, but also a way to help our teenagers to learn more about themselves, to improve their relationships with other people, and to develop leadership abilities."

The next Youth Alive session will be held in Hong Kong July 5-11, 2004.
                                                          --Adventist News Network

South Central Conference President Placed on Leave
On November 23, 2003, the South Central Conference (SCC) Executive Committee, placed conference president Joseph McCoy on administrative leave until December 14, 2003.

According to conference officials, the action was taken because SCC, among others, has a been named in two separate lawsuits filed in Indiana and New York. The Review has subsequently learned that the Northeastern Conference was also named as a defendant in both lawsuits, and McCoy and the General Conference (GC) were named on the Indiana suit.

The Indiana lawsuit was filed by Randall L. Woodruff, a bankruptcy trustee for Legacy Healthcare, Inc., in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis on September 25, 2003. In the suit the plantiffs have brought allegations of breach of contract and fraud.

The other lawsuit was filed by Centereach Pharmacy & Surgical Supply Inc. in the New York State Supreme Court, Suffolk County, on March 19, 2002.

In a notice sent to all SCC churches, officials say the conference "will vigorously defend itself against each of these lawsuits and anticipates a positive outcome." The conference executive committee will meet again on December 14, 2003, to consider further actions. In the meantime an administrative committee will handle the affairs of the conference.

Tom Wetmore, an associate counsel of the GC Office of the General Counsel, says, "The GC has had absolutely no involvement in the underlying matters of these lawsuits. It is in the process of asserting all necessary and appropriate defenses."

$1.2 Million in Grants Awarded to Andrews University
In the last six months of this year, Andrews University (AU) in Berrien Springs, Michigan, was awarded more than $1.2 million in grants. The funds will further important research by faculty members and support students involved with them in research.

"Students may have the opportunity to coauthor papers even before they graduate. That's rare for undergraduates," said Dr. Patricia Mutch, vice president for academic administration.

In one project, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded $305,000 to a professor of biology, and an associate professor of mathematics, with their team of students and consultants, to create mathematical models that predict how many seabirds and sea mammals will be in a specific habitat at a specific time. The Seabird Ecology Team has already successfully predicted movements of animals in one Washington state habitat.

Noting the unusually high percentage of AU biology graduates accepted to medical school-nearly double the national average-NSF awarded a $490,600 grant to develop a new undergraduate program in behavioral neuroscience modeled on the university's biology program. Another NSF grant of $248,500 plus $50,000 from the American Chemical Society will fund studies of boronic acid substituted flavinoids.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture provided $65,000 to further research on a type of soil bacteria which may lead to a new method of fighting weeds using a biologically based, rather than chemically based, weed control.

The U.S. Department of Education included AU in a five-university collaborative project, providing $116,000 to implement new methods of teaching special education teachers through virtual-reality case-based instruction.

Volleyball Opens Prison Doors
After a Christian inmate's suggestion to the prison chaplain in Riga, Latvia, Adventist pastor Dzintars Geide was asked to organize a youth team for a volleyball match with prisoners.

"This was the first precedent of sports games between prisoners and Christians in the history of Jelgava prison, and in the history of all prisons in Latvia," says Tatjana Tomsone, journalist for the Baltic Union Conference. It provided opportunity for almost all prisoners to watch the match and for visitors to talk with prisoners before and afterward.

Afterward, prison chaplain Rihards Krievinsh affirmed the positive image of the Adventist Church. "Sports games and similar activities are another way to reach those who can't be reached otherwise, who have no interest in religion or in Bible truths," he said. "This is also an experience for youth to think about new ways of witnessing about their faith, how to reach people where they are."

Although the youth guests lost the match, Pastor Geide reported that prison administration felt it was a "very effective event" and anticipated continuing such matches on a regular basis in future.

Union College Cancer Researcher
Reports Findings at Press Conference
Dr. Brian Wong, Union College (Lincoln, Nebraska) biology professor, presented key findings at an October press conference of the second annual Frontiers in Cancer Prevention meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Phoenix, Arizona. Wong and several senior student researchers learned in their studies on mice that a mint-like herb called Scutellaria barbata (SB) reduced growth and occurrence of prostate cancer cells. This herb has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat cancers and other illnesses.

At 27 weeks, 70 percent of the mice given high doses of SB were tumor-free, contrasted with fewer than 30 percent of the mice not given the herb. "The therapeutic value of natural herbs is presenting itself as clinically valid," Wong said. "In other words, very likely, with further studies, these findings may help to treat or even prevent human prostate cancer."

The Union College research team's findings were reported by the BBC, CNN, and other leading news organizations.

Academy Offers Academic Credit
For Ministry Work Program
Students enrolled in a new training course for the MagaBook program at Rio Lindo Academy, Healdsburg, California actually earn academic credit, using as textbooks the books they're selling (such as Steps to Christ, Christ's Object Lessons, and The Desire of Ages), and making recipes from vegetarian cookbooks offered for sale. The ministry work program is called "Students with a Mission" (SWAM).

Officials at the North American Division office of education are not aware of any other academies offering academic credit for the MagaBook program.

"Students benefit because they learn the value of door-to-door ministry as well as earning income for their tuition expenses," says Steve Nicola, SWAM coordinator. Nicola teaches religion classes at Rio Lindo and is also student literature program coordinator for the Northern California Conference.

"I was able to pray with a woman after she purchased three books," said senior Andy Shurtliff, one of the eight students enrolled in SWAM. "I looked up after the prayer and saw a face full of gratitude. That was reward enough!"

Montana Conference Office Moves
After 44 years at its present location, the Montana Conference office recently moved into temporary housing pending construction of a new office building. Originally west of town in a country setting, the office now is located almost in the center of Bozeman. John Loor, president, says, "It is hoped the new office will be built on several acres of Mt. Ellis Academy property located near an exit of I-90." The building will be financed with proceeds from the sales of the former office and other conference-owned property.

A mobile home now serves as a temporary office, and the Adventist Book Center is temporarily housed at Mt. Ellis Academy. Correspondence should be addressed to: Montana Conference, 175 Canyon View Rd., Bozeman, MT 59715, telephone 406-587-3101.

News Notes

Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Michigan) nursing students recently achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the state nursing boards. This significant event results from the new curriculum initiated in the 1999-2000 school year; it is a first for the department in the past 20 years; and it reflects a group of students with very diverse ethnic backgrounds from different countries.

More Religious News
Adventist News Network
Religion News Service
Religion Today